I'm a Shy Loner and I Was Confessed to by a Beautiful Girl Who Has All the Boys in School Smitten, but It Turned Out to Be a 'Fake Confession,' So I Politely Declined. As a Result, I Ended Up Learning About Her Hidden Side and She Started to Cling to Me - Chapter 42

The next morning.

I was woken up by the alarm I had set. As expected, due to Nene Kuroki’s unexpected visit last night, my sleep was shallow, and my eyelids felt extremely heavy. My body also felt heavy, and I wanted to sleep a bit more, but I had to get up, or I would definitely be late.

“Wait…”

Nene, who was supposed to be next to me yesterday, is not there.

Could it be… was yesterday just a dream? Yes, that must be it. It’s just impossible for Nene Kuroki to stay over at my place.

“Good morning, Ju-bei. Breakfast is ready, so hurry up and wash your face… What’s wrong?”

“No, I just realized it wasn’t a dream.”

There she was, Nene in her school uniform with an apron on.

Hmm… it feels so homely… like we’re living together… I’m overwhelmed.

I wash my face, brush my teeth, change into my uniform, and head to the living room. On the dining table, there was already breakfast prepared: rice, rolled omelet, grilled salmon, miso soup, and more.

I gratefully start eating.

“…It’s delicious. Sorry for making you prepare breakfast.”

“Well, since I’m staying over, it’s the least I can do.”

Unusually for me, I even had a second helping of rice. I usually don’t eat much in the morning, but maybe Nene’s cooking is so good, or maybe it’s just nice to eat with someone else. Or maybe it’s both.

“…Hmm.”

Nene was looking at her phone with a dissatisfied expression. Since coming to my house, she seems to be very concerned with her phone.

After getting ready, we put on our shoes at the entrance. Then I noticed something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… no… it’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not nothing. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“…I just noticed you’re wearing shorts under your skirt today.”

“Ah, that… I don’t usually wear them, but I did today.”

“Why shorts today?”

“…Personal reasons.”

Nene blushed and didn’t elaborate further. We left the house together, took the train, and headed to school.

Honestly, I suggested we should go to school at different times, but…

“Why? You don’t want to be seen going to school with me?”

After she said that, I had no choice but to retract my suggestion. I was worried about Nene, thinking that if we were seen together, it might cause her trouble.

As expected, many eyes were on us.

“Hey, why is he going to school with Kuroki-san so chummily?”

“Eh? Are they dating? With that guy?”

Not only stares but also sharp words.

“~♪”

Well, the person in question is in a good mood, so I guess it’s fine. I don’t know why, though.

“Satochin. Nenetchi, good morning~”

The moment we reached the school building, we were called from behind. As expected, it was Kise-san.

“It’s rare to see Satochin and Nenetchi going to school together…!?”

She blinked her big eyes in surprise and stared at me as if lost for words.

“Kise-san?”

“Ah, Right! I have to carry notebooks this morning. Satochin, help me out.”

“Uh, okay…”

Why is she talking so mechanically?

“Yayoi-chan. Should I help too?”

“No, Satochin alone is enough. So, Nenetchi, I’m borrowing Satochin.”

“Okay. I’ll go to the classroom first then?”

We watched Nene climb the stairs to the classroom, then headed to the staff room to pick up notebooks for the whole class and walked to the classroom.

“How was it? The amusement park date with Hana-chan?”

“It wasn’t a date… but it was fun.”

“Ho-ho. That’s good… so? Why does Nenetchi’s smell of the same shampoo as Satochin?”

“Ah, that’s because Nene has been staying at my place since yesterday…”

“…Eh?”

“…Ah.”

Shoot. I accidentally let it slip… I nervously looked at Kise-san, and she had a distant look in her eyes.

It’s like she’s troubled by something new.

“…Let’s hear more about that.”

“Yes…”

For now, I explained yesterday’s events to Kise-san.

That Nene had run away from home.
That she chose my house as her refuge.
That I hadn’t asked why she ran away.
That I had no idea how long she would stay.

“…Well, Nenetchi must have her reasons for relying on Satochin… As long as it’s mutual, it should be fine,

right?”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

I appreciated the support.

“It would be fine if you two were dating.”

“…………”

“Hey! Don’t go silent on me.”

Sigh… Kise-san let out a big sigh and looked at me with an indescribable expression.

“Just make sure it doesn’t get out, especially to Hana-chan… It seems like it could get complicated.”

“Yeah, I understand…”

I had thought about telling Hana, but maybe it’s better to listen to what Kise-san is saying.

“And make sure there’s an end in sight. Continuing to live together indefinitely is definitely not good.”

“That’s… sure. Nene will handle it properly, I think.”

“Ah, good morning, Ju-bei-kun! Yayoi-chan!”

Looking ahead, Hana was waving at us from the classroom entrance.

“Oh, Hana-chan, morning!”

“Hah… Hana, good morning.”

That was close. I almost called her “Hana-chan.” That nickname is just for when we’re alone. If I used it here, it would definitely cause trouble.

Though it’s also a bit embarrassing, Hana probably understands that…

“It’s okay to call me ‘Hana-chan’ in front of everyone, you know?”

“Ha!?”

Hana-chan!! Look, Kise-san next to me is speechless!!

“No, that’s… a bit embarrassing.”

“Eh? But I want you to call me that.”

“Y-yeah… maybe when I get used to it…?”

“Mmm, promise, okay?”

“Yeah, okay…”

Hana seemed satisfied and entered the classroom first.

Now, I should go to the classroom too…

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Satochin-kun. We’ll talk more about this later.”

“Yes.”